When bears are reigning supreme and the FUD is being pushed by the mainstream media many investors are looking for the best way to sell Bitcoin. U.Today presents you our top 10 most popular ways of converting ways of converting to USD. This is especially helpful for beginner-level investors who are wondering how to cash out Bitcoin. Despite the crypto rout, the number of crypto investors almost doubled during the past three quarters of 2018.

Cryptocurrency exchanges

Cryptocurrency exchanges are the top-of-the-mind option when it comes to converting BTC to USD. For that purpose, you have to use fiat-to-crypto exchanges that allow bank transfers. Coinbase is probably the most popular choice as long as exchanges are concerned, but the $8 bln dollar exchange is not available worldwide. The list of other popular fiat-to-crypto exchanges includes:

The aforementioned platforms are also called entry-level exchanges since they allow you buying Bitcoins and later converting it to fiat money. However, keep in mind that these exchanges have very few altcoins so you will have to look for C2C exchanges in the likes of Binance.

Another important thing to remember is that you should never store your coins even on safety-cautious exchanges such as Coinbase that go as far as storing utilizing electromagnetic tends to secure their users’ private keys.

P2P exchanges

How to convert Bitcoin into cash anonymously? Those who are not big fans of centralized exchanges can engage in P2P trading, which is getting extremely popular in Latin America. Those sites allow you to get physical cash directly from a buyer by organizing a meetup.

LocalBitcoins is the Coinbase of P2P exchanges — mammoth-size trading volumes are generated on this platform on a daily basis. The modus operandi is rather straightforward given that the sides simply publish their offerings before conducting offline transactions. Still, many are iffy about using LocalBitcoins because of its rather shady reputation that was tainted by numerous stories about Bitcoin meetups going the wrong way.

Alternatively, you can use Paxful. The exchange functions in the same way but offers a wider range of payment methods (up to 300). Paxful and LocalBitcoins are rather similar in their functionality but the former wins when it comes to its interface — it looks polished and beginner-friendly. LocalBitcoin, on the other hand, is much more popular and more trustworthy.

Bitcoin ATM

Bitcoin ATMs represent an excellent way of converting Bitcoin to cash in a snap. This industry niche is constantly evolving with more than 4,000 ATMs being installed worldwide. They function similarly to ordinary ATMs (except for the fact that you have to scan a QR code with your mobile Bitcoin wallet).

Pay attention to the fact that you have to deal with a much higher fee (the average industry fee is around 8 percent). One more downside is that ATMs are usually installed in public places so you have to deal with limited working hours while cryptocurrency exchanges work over the clock.

You can also pay Bitcoin without actually using a Bitcoin teller machine. Here are some of the most popular Bitcoin payment providers.

Using a prepaid card

Bitcoin prepaid cards basically stopped functioning after the VISA crackdown in February. However, the major card providers have already found new issuers and they are back on track. Prepaid cards are normal cards that can be loaded with Bitcoin or any other supported cryptocurrency.

With their help, it’s a complete no-brainer to convert Bitcoin into your local currency (keep in mind that might be forced to pay a draconian Bitcoin conversion fees if your provider doesn’t support your local currency). There are certain limits but they can be easily avoidable if you complete your KYC.

Cryptocurrency lending platforms

There are numerous Blockchain-based platforms in the likes of BeeLend that connect borrowers with lenders. Notably, the Bitfinex exchange also supports both fiat and crypto lending.

While the fees are usually paid in fiat currencies, your crypto holdings are used in the form of collateral. This is very beneficial for cryptocurrency investors since they are not losing their crypto assets whose value can increase exponentially given the volatile nature of the industry. Borrowers are getting dollars without even selling their crypto.

BlockFi is a nice option for US residents – it allows taking crypto loans in 35 states. In order to eligible for a loan, your wallet should contain at least $4,000 worth of crypto.

NB! Taking a crypto loan also requires confirming your identity (you will be asked to enter your social security number)

OTC trading (crypto millionaires only!)

Traders who have huge amounts of Bitcoin could go for an OTC (‘over the counter’) marketplace since moving millions of dollars across exchanges could be challenging. These transactions are not available to the general public, and just like P2P trading, they do not affect the exchange rate.

Furthermore, traders are also able to avoid the so-called ‘slippage’ scenario when the order is so big it causes the price can drastically fall, which will eventually result in substantial loses. It is quite possible to lose up to 10 percent of your funds due to slippage (the scenario that takes place when you show your hand before the deal is sealed).

Given that the cryptocurrency industry is still in the early stage of development its OTC market also remains rather obscure. For your convenience, U.Today has compiled the table with the most popular OTC brokers whose service may come in handy if you want to sell more than 100 BTC.

Name of the broker

Location

Key features

Octagon Strategy

China

Octagon Strategy offers a top-notch level of security coupled with a large network of a trading partner.

Genesis Trading

USA

The SEC-compliant broker supports six more cryptocurrencies apart from Bitcoin. Its total trading volume has long exceeded billions of dollars.

Smart Contract

Japan

The biggest Japanese broker that offer high liquidity and low fees. Smart Contract also offers professional consolations to its clients.

QCP Capital

Singapore

Just like other brokers, this QCP Capital offers its clients same-day settlements. On top of that, it has rather competitive fees.

Circle

USD (offices around the globe)

The crypto unicorn that has Goldman Sachs among its investors has a monthly trading volume of around $2 bln

Using another digital wallet

You can also convert BTC to USD by sending the coins to any supported digital wallet (PayPal, Apple Pay, etc). This option, of course, is only suitable for those who constantly purchase goods online since you receive digital fiat.

Again, the flexibility comes at a price – you have to deal with higher fees and lower withdrawal limits.,

Hedging against crypto loses

You can also consider using services in the likes of Coinapult, Uphold or BitUSD for storing your crypto in the form of fiat money. Of course, you may lose big if Bitcoin price unexpectedly goes up but at the same time, you avoid the risk of losing a substantial sum of money due to Bitcoin volatility (a quick reminder that the price of the flagship currency lost almost 20 percent of its value in a couple of weeks). If you decide to spend thee funds, you can convert them to USD or simply get your Bitcoins back.
Alternatively, you can also create a USD wallet on Coinbase and send BTC directly from this wallet.

Coinaupid is the most advanced service among the above-mentioned ones since it offers you five assets (USD, EUR, and GBP as well as precious metals such as gold and silver). If you choose to convert 1 BTC into USD, Coinaupid locks its value and buys the corresponding amount of cash. Later, if the client chooses to unlock its holdings, he buys Bitcoin at the market price.

Buying things with Bitcoin

Despite the fact that Bitcoin merchant adoption is on a decline, there is still a slew of shops that accept Bitcoin as a means of payment. Overstock.com, one of the biggest retail businesses in the US, went all-in with crypto, also betting on the Blockchain technology. The fact that cryptocurrencies basically remain in a legal grey zone makes them more attractive for some retail businesses but it the same time it hinders their mainstream adoption.

Selling Bitcoin to your family and friends

If the person you know wants to buy Bitcoin, this is probably the easiest way to do a cash-out. Simply send the required amount of BTC to the recipient's wallet in order to get your dollars.

We’ve specifically mentioned ‘family and friends’ since it’s not a good idea to organize meetups with strangers. If you decided to meet someone in person make sure that the meeting takes place in a public venue (cafe, park, shopping mall, etc.). The good thing about LocalBitcoins is that shows the public feedback about a certain person, thus minimizing the risk of being mugged. Moreover, there is no third party to help you out if you are trapped in this kind of a predicament. Still, if you are not being overly paranoid about the whole thing, selling your BTC in person remains the best option for those who are wondering how to turn Bitcoin into cash anonymously.

Conclusion

While we’ve covered all the basic ways to cash out your Bitcoins, it is still important to do your own research in order before finalizing your decision. The safest way is to go with an established cryptocurrency exchange in the likes of Coinbase but it has its downsides (higher fees, a limited amount of withdrawals, etc.). Either way, you should beware of numerous scam sites like Bitcoin Profit, which ask you to invest in Bitcoin and make unrealistic gains in no time.

Let’s be sincere: we’ve gotten tired of Ethereum and Bitcoin, and when it comes to ETH and BTC mining, crypto enthusiasts became disappointed in them in 2018. The bang isn’t worth the invested buck. What to do if you still want to be the part of cryptocurrency family and a proud owner of digital coins? Try Dogecoin! Let’s find out whether Dogecoin mining is profitable, and what the best ways to obtain it are.

Why Doge?

Dogecoin (DOGE) is the first coin that was intended to be some kind of joke. To be more precise, this coin was created with a pinch of sarcasm and a great will to make crypto more available for ordinary people. Surprisingly, the coin has become popular: 200k followers, 100k subscribers, and thousands of miners. It’s more than Iota and NEO have. Could Doge creators have imagined their creation would ignite such interest?

The Dogecoin community is large, but what about its mining properties? The numbers show that the coin is actually more competitive than other coins from the standpoint of block rewards.

Cryptocurrency

Mining difficulty (01/12/2019)

Reward (For 1 Block)

Bitcoin

5,618,595,848,853.28

12.5

Ethereum

2,651,619,145,272,150

5

Litecoin

6,106,167.56668499

25

Dogecoin

2,404,260.6685

10,000

Dogecoin has the largest reward per block, leaving Verge with its 750 coins behind. Does it mean that mining Dogecoin is more profitable? Not necessarily. However, it’s the 24th cryptocurrency by the market cap and is expected to see a fundamental increase in cost as it continues evolving. That’s why Doge mining profitability can get higher.

Solo or mining in pools?

Here comes the first pitfall: there’s actually no such thing as pure Dogecoin mining because you have to mine it together with Litecoin. Turns out, DOGE coins are simply the by-product of Litecoin mining. You have a choice: to join a Dogecoin mining pool or hunt for the coins on your own. The key advantage of mining solo is the fact you get the reward alone (which is considerable thanks to a large block reward).

But solo mining is like playing roulette: your chances of mining the whole block alone are minor. If you have rather weak hardware, you can be mining it without any success. If you join a pool, though, your chances will multiply. But be prepared to pay fees.

The difference between solo mining and mining pools

No matter which coin you’re interested in, we highly recommend joining a mining pool. Why? Because the worthiest crypto assets have the highest mining difficulty, and earning them without anyone’s help is impossible without an ultra-advanced mining pool (which most of us can’t afford).

7 best Dogecoin mining pools

The first thing you should keep in mind is that Dogecoin mining pools should support the Scrypt hashing algorithm. Until recently, GHash.IO was the ultimate choice for Dogecoin miners, but it was closed in 2016. Now miners have to search for alternatives and, luckily, there are plenty of them.

1. Multipool.us

This is one of the oldest mining pools around. Multipool allows mining 29 crypto coins with various algorithms, including Scrypt. Several currencies can be mined simultaneously. The main advantage of multipool is that it has a great payout. Besides, there are no withdrawal fees, and you can boost your profits with the help of merge mining feature.

Multipool.us website interface

2. Prohashing

Prohashing is among the most demanded Scrypt mining pools that are used for mining different altcoins. You just need to register and choose a crypto asset for reward (DOGE is available). What are the key benefits of this mining pool? It has agreeable fees and offers detailed statistical data (number of miners, hash rate, real-time profitability, etc).

3. 1CoinPool

1CoinPool is a mining pool for both LTC and DOGE. It has no fees, though users’ donations are welcome. Judging by the information on their official website, 1CoinPool mines three blocks per week. Users are rewarded proportionally to the hashing power they provide.

Alternatively, you can use a mining pool that works with the X11 algorithm. Note that Darkcoin and Dash support this algorithm, and you can request a payout in Dogecoin, too.

4. HashFaster

The name of this mining pool is totally justified: you can start mining without creating an account. Choose your username and specify the wallet address, and you’re ready to start. The first payout will take up to six hours only.

HashFaster website interface

5. Litecoinpool

This option is recommended for merged mining. Litecoinpool was established in 2014 and has quickly gathered a good reputation. It utilizes a transparent payout system with the pay-per-share (PPS) rate. By default, payments are made in Litecoin, but you can also request reward in merge-mined currencies such as Dogecoin. In comparison with traditional LTC mining pools, such a website will bring you more money. Besides, it’s said that it was the first LTC pool use TLS-encrypted Stratum connections for protecting miners.

This is another mining pool that’s been around for over 5 years. Eobot was established in 2013 and is still one of the most popular choices among miners. Users can mine coins based on Scrypt and SHA-256. Earnings can be withdrawn in different currency including Dash, XRP, and Doge. The website ensures an unbeatable level of protection for users, though it won’t hurt to use 2-step authorization.

7. Aikapool

This is a small mining pool with about 100 miners – the right spot for starters. It supports various Scrypt-based altcoins, including Doge.

So, is the game worth the candles burnt?

Here we come to the most important question: should you mine Doge? The sad truth is that such a venture is not really worth your effort – the reward is so small, it won’t even cover electricity.

The main reasons for NOT mining DOGE are:

Direct Dogecoin mining is not profitable because recently it switched to merged mining. It means you have to compete with 3 Terahash of LTC pools. The coin is too cheap to cover your expenses and compensate efforts.

In fact, mining most Scrypt coins are not profitable unless you have free electric power and equipment. According to statistics, it brings miners $1 every 2 months per every megahash spent. Not a fair deal, is it?

If you don’t have juggernaut servers, don’t rush to start mining – you can’t compete with huge mining farms that run with the help of hydropower stations.

Dogecoin has an unlimited supply, which will inevitably lead to inflation.

Think about cloud mining instead? Unfortunately, a lot of cloud mining websites appear to be a total scam.

Does it mean you shouldn’t even try dealing with Dogecoin? No, you can become a DOGE owner just to join the crypto community and add to your crypto asset portfolio. Mining other coins and converting them into DOGE might be a better idea. Alternatively, you can pay attention to the new Dogethereum fork (DOGX) – it utilizes the same algorithm as Ethereum.

Dogecoin is not the only altcoin available – you’re free to choose a lot of replacements. This cryptocurrency was created just for fun, so you should approach DOGE mining the same way.

Bitcoin mining is a must for transaction verification and confirmation on the Blockchain network. The process is performed with the help of specific equipment and tools. If you already have a juggernaut rig, don’t rush to start the process – you will need special software first.

How to become a Bitcoin miner?

Becoming a Bitcoin hunter involves getting the best Bitcoin mining hardware, too. However, that’s only a part of the deal. Once the hardware is bought and installed, you need to have it up and running. The necessary steps are:

What is Bitcoin mining software?

Bitcoin mining software works in collaboration with the relevant hardware to solve computational algorithms on the network and execute these transactions. This is what directs the computational power in the right direction and helps you to get the maximum out of your equipment.

What should I consider?

When it comes to Bitcoin mining, you should approach the task with all responsibility and seriousness. We have already discussed that Bitcoin mining isn’t really profitable anymore, but if you’re determined to give it a chance, you will need to research and strategize. There’s a wide range of factors that should be taken into consideration.

What does Bitcoin mining profitability depend on?

Seem to be too complicated? As soon as you get a better insight into each aspect and check out the market for possible solutions, you will be able to make the right informed decision.

Now that we have a clue about the requirements for mining, it’s high time to review the most cost-efficient and suitable software solutions for Bitcoin miners.

CGMiner: Best overall performance

Written in C languages almost seven years ago, CGMiner is a versatile solution that supports numerous operating systems. It works with both FPGA and ASIC hardware, and features command line control that allows for overall mining process monitoring, including:

fan speed control;

hash rate;

interface options;

network schedule;

support of mining pools.

CGMiner boasts smart failover technologies. New blocks are detected automatically, and you will enjoy easy setting management (the menu is a no-brainer). Note that submissions can be saved in cache in case of network failure.

CGMiner works with various ASIC mining hardware options. Though lack of GUI might be a drawback for some, CGMiner is still simply the most recommendable option.

EasyMiner: Best GUI front-end for multiple tools

This GUI-based software runs on Windows, Linux, and Android. It makes mining simple thanks to the interactive GUI. It starts working instantly using the machine CPU. Every cryptocurrency has various command line tools, but with EasyMiner, the situation is different: it has a simple graphical interface through which you will easily understand the bolts and nuts of mining process navigation. Adjusting settings and doing other activities is extremely simple.

For BTC, it performs ASIC mining and other hardware options. There's also a "Solo" mode for using a pool of your own, and custom hash options for the cryptocurrencies you like. This software uses the proprietary protocol to boost safety for both the pool and wallet.

BFGMiner: Customize the process

If you need something as good as CGMiner but for working with application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), BFGMiner is exactly the thing. Flexibility and easy customization make it the best software for Bitcoin mining – it’s designed specifically for the SHA256 mining algorithm. Like other decent crypto mining software solutions, it allows you to be connected to numerous mining pools.

Besides, BFGMiner saves electricity by limiting the connection if some certain mining pool doesn’t respond. Like CGMiner, it offers a command line interface and is an open-source solution. To top it off, BFGMiner features:

a network proxy server;

submission to numerous threads;

proprietary mining protocol (no proxy);

restarting of idle threads;

detailed data statistics of the mining process.

The software can also check the temperature, and BFGMiner comes packed with drivers for BTC.

BitMiner: Cross-platform compatibility

Why is BitMiner special? First, it features a proprietary mining pool. Secondly, this is a versatile solution for BTC mining. It runs on different operating systems, and no installation is required for this java software. The suite boasts a comprehensive GUI that's incredibly easy to navigate.

BitMiner user interface

The extra layer on this cake of benefits is that 99% mining profit goes to the user. The whole gamut of ASICs will work with this suite. Considering the large number of BitMiner users, you need a worthy ASIC to reap the gains.

MultiMiner: Easy in use

If you’re new to crypto, consider this graphic user interface based mining software. It works equally well with all widespread operating systems. Its mining engine works with various mining hardware and lets you select the coins you'd like to get. Besides, users have the possibility for remote control over MultiMiner rigs.

Being an open-source software, MultiMiner works with all possible devices. To top it off, MultiMiner provides detailed instruction on how to connect the pool once the software is installed. Despite that fact that the software is free, you have the option of sending 1% of the profits you make from mining to the developer. It is not compulsory, and you’re free to opt out at any time.

MultiMiner dashboard is a no-brainer

BitMinter: Simplicity coupled with versatility

BitMinter exploits its special mining pools. The software is simple in use, and it supports all popular OS. Although the program is totally free, it charges 1% commission for mining. That’s a pretty fair deal considering the convenience and efficiency you enjoy.

Miner Server: Best for cloud mining

Want to start Bitcoin mining but are not ready purchase an expensive ASIC? Then you should try cloud mining, but remember that only large computing power will bring you some benefits. There’s no need to buy a long-term contract, either – Bitcoin mining difficulty is soaring day by day.

When you start working with Miner Server, you have to join a mining pool and share profits with other users. There’s a large variety of packages with basic cost as low as $0.14. Depending on chosen package, the hashrate ranges about 250-600,000 GH/s. All the tariffs last for one year, and you can manage your Bitcoin earnings and other settings using the account.

You can get extra hash power for free using your reference number for the affiliate program. There are no additional maintenance charges, which makes this platform highly profitable.

Phoenix Miner: Optimal option for minimizing your efforts

This is a free and open-source mining suite that was created by two Bitcoin community members in April 2011. Phoenix Miner also provides support for RPC, w/LP, and MMP. Its kernel loads automatically and the better version will always be adopted.

Bottom Line

Although Bitcoin mining isn’t very beneficial today, you can still try your luck. The truth is that you will need to be ready for huge expenses: electricity, equipment, maintenance – all of that will take a bite out of your wallet. Luckily, Bitcoin mining software is usually free, and there are still decent solutions around.

Start your mining career with a good mining suite, and you will double your chances of making Bitcoin riches in 2019. Bitcoin has a very promising future, so your investment might be compensated down the road.

With Nvidia, the world’s leading GPU producer, being hit by a class action lawsuit by a group of indignant miners, the future of cryptocurrency mining doesn’t seem that bright (to put it softly). Nevertheless, U.Today reviews the best mining hardware for those who decided to enter the yo-yo market.

A perfect buying opportunity?

Unless you have free electricity or plan to heat your apartment with GPUs whirring in the background, there is very little incentive to continue mining – Bitcoin price dramatically plunged by 80 percent in 2018. Along with BTC, the prices of mining hardware caught up with the trend. For example, you can now buy GIGABYTE’s Radeon RX 570 4 GB for only $183.98 (a world of difference from its hefty $600 price tag). As U.Today reported earlier, GPUs are currently being sold at embarrassingly low prices worldwide.

A quick look at types of mining hardware

CPU. Fun fact: the first-ever block of Bitcoin (‘Genesis Block’) was mined by Satoshi himself on his own PC. Early Bitcoin adopters could mine the first cryptocurrency on their own computer! Pentium4 PC could mine up to 100 BTC in 2010.

GPU. As the mining space was getting more competitive, the code that allowed using graphics cards for mining was introduced on Sept. 18, 2010.

ASIC. The bloodbath began in 2013 when ASICs, specific chips for mining Bitcoin, were introduced. They started greatly outperforming GPUs and FGPAs (the latter never caught up with miners).

Bitcoin mining – yay or nay?

Bitcoin, despite the sharp profitability drop, remains the king of crypto, and the global mining industry that generates billions of dollars is not going anywhere. If you want to purchase a perfect cryptocurrency miner, here a few suggestions that might come in handy:

Innosilicon T3. This is one of the most powerful miners on the market with a whopping 43 TH/s hashrate. The first batch is expected to be delivered to buyers as soon as in January 2019.

GMO miner B3. B3, which was released in November 2018, is yet another juggernaut on the list with 33Th/s of hashing power. However, GMO recently called it quits with its mining business, and for a good reason – B3 is one of the worst miners by profitability (you would actually start losing $4.52 per day when running this miner).

Ebit E11+. By offering 37 TH/s of hashing power, this miner easily stands out among its competitors. Given that Bitcoin price currently stands at $3,818, it can offer miners a $2.65 payout (well, at least it’s profitable!).

Antminer S9 (‘oldie-but-goodie’). Antminer S9 has acquired the legendary status in the ASIC space due to its immense popularity. Currently, 2016 fails to generate any profit, but Bitmain is not there to cede ground to a slew of competitors that easily – the Beijing-based behemoth presented its next-generation Bitmain S15/ T15 miners back in September.

Ethereum mining hardware options

In November, technology firm Susquehanna revealed that the mining profitability of a GPU mining rig plunged to zero. Bitmain also brought new things to the table by introducing E3 ASIC, the first ASIC that is specifically designed for mining Ethereum). Subsequently, the fact that the Beijing-based behemoth set its eye on Ethereum became a matter of concern for many community members given Bitmain’s near-monopoly status.

When comparing GPUs to ASICs, it is worth mentioning that graphics cards have a sizeable advantage when it comes to depreciation. As mentioned above, ASICs are specifically designed for mining a given cryptocurrency, which means that a spike in mining difficulty could make the likes of E3 obsolete.

Mining ZenCash, Zcash, and other Equihash-based coins

Back in July, Zcash (ZEC) became the most profitable cryptocurrency to mine, showing 400 percent better results than Bitcoin and other PoW-based currencies. Miners could generate an $8,000 ROI with Antminer Z9 mini in two years.

ASICminer Zeon 180K is yet another beast on the market that could mine up to 10 ZCash per day with hashrate of about 180ksol/s. Moreover, this is the first water-cooled miner that went into the mainstream, which means that you can barely hear it working (just keep an eye on that tank reservoir!). At the time of writing this article, it remains the second most profitable miner on the market.

Yes, this unicorn comes at an insane price – $20,000. Hence, many speculate that it would be more efficient to simply fork out this money on several Bitmain Antminer Z9s. One of the reasons why anyone would want to buy ASICminer Zeon 180K, which will most likely stay with you forever, is to do their part in disrupting Bitmain’s monopoly.

Decred or SiaCoin? Meet the mining juggernauts

MicroBT Whatsminer D1. This is one of the most powerful ASIC miners, which offers an eye-popping 48Th/s. It’s based on the Blake256R14 algorithm, which means that Decred (DCR) is the only currency you can mine with that hardware.

Taking into account the average price of electricity ($0.12 KWh per hour), it’s one of the very few ASICs that remain profitable during the prolonging crypto winter. At the time of writing this article, it could make $10.31 per day.

Obelisk SC1, a $4,000 miner that is specifically designed for mining Siacoin (SC), is the most profitable miner as of now: it could generate up to $20.69 on a daily basis!

Fire up your CPU to mine altcoins!

CPU Bitcoin mining stopped being relevant in 2010, but there are still plenty of coins you can simply mine on your laptop. That essentially explains why XMR is the most popular coin with cryptojackers who stealthily install mining software on other computers.

Monero is the only major coin on the block that can be still mined with CPU in 2018 given its resistance to ASIC hardware. However, it is still a much better option to go with GPUs given that CPUs may not give you the desired payout for months.

NB! It’s not the best idea to mine Monero with your laptop (even if it has a top-notch Intel Core i7 9700K) given that they have a tendency to overheat.

AEON is one of the most CPU-friendly coins due to its CryptoNight-light PoW algorithm. Aeon usually mines 3x of XMR.

While Bitmain, the Beijing-based ASIC producer is struggling to hype up its IPO, CPUs are on the verge of making a comeback. The VerusHash 2.0 algorithm, which was introduced on Dec. 21, is supposed to be the fastest CPU mining algorithm in the world, according to the team’s blog post.

Here’s how you can mine crypto with your smartphone

There are many coins that can be simply mined with the help of your phone. Case in point: Electroneum.

Electroneum (ETN) is a cryptocurrency that was launched in September 2017. Electroneum also helps its users to escape the ASIC hegemony with the help of the above-mentioned Cryptonite-light algorithm. The modus operandi is extremely simple – you have to download an Android app to start mining crypto.

It’s worth mentioning that some of the reviews are not particularly flattering with users calling the project an outright scam. The plethora of fraudulent apps that allegedly let users mine cryptocurrencies even forced Google to ban all mining apps from its Play Store.

Of course, it’s not the best option to use your smartphone for Bitcoin mining – it would take months to generate a tiny fraction of 1 BTC. However, back in 2017, C-Lab, an engineering team from Samsung, managed to come up with a creative way to utilize old Galaxy S5s by building a full-fledged mining rig.

The construction reportedly outperformed a powerful desktop computer

The bottom line

As you can see, the cryptocurrency mining market is saturated with all types of hardware – from your old smartphone to super-powerful ASIC miners that cost up to $20,000. It just goes to show you that everyone can dip their toes in that nascent industry even during the crypto rout.

Despite the bearish character of the market, some people haven't lost hope and continue mining cryptocurrency. All in all, this is still the easiest way to earn some digital coins – once the mining rig is set up, you don’t have to break a sweat to make a profit. However, the computations are becoming more and more complicated, so miners become disappointed in Bitcoin and Ethereum and switch to other coins instead.

For this reason, many start mining Monero: this is one of rare cryptocurrencies that can even be mined with a smartphone. But if you want to have higher chances of mining success, consider joining a Monero mining pool. This way, you’ll be able to generate blocks faster. Let’s observe the worthiest Monero pools for this year.

How to select the best Monero mining pool?

In order to choose the most efficient and safest platform, you should consider the following points:

Is any fee charged? Typically, Monero mining pools have a 1-2% fee.

What’s the total hashing power of the pool?

What is the minimum payout threshold? The lower, the better, especially if you have relatively weak mining hardware and need frequent payouts.

What’s the location of the pool servers? You need a pool with servers that are as close to you as possible (it should be at least on the same continent). The closer the servers are to your location, the higher the hash power will be.

The uptime should be at least 99% for your mining process to be uninterrupted.

To simplify the process of picking up the best Monero mining pool, we have analyzed the most popular options. It will help you to select the most agreeable solution.

Minergate

This Monero mining pool has been very popular due to several reasons. First, it ensures 99.7% uptime (which means there are practically no interruptions in the mining process). Secondly, it has a standard 1% fee – it’s more than agreeable. Minergate also has a very low minimum payout of 0.01 XMR, so you can easily have daily payouts.

To top it off, web mining is also available with Minergate. That’s what made the platform so popular. Minergate contributes roughly 16 MH/s to the world hashrate, which is approximately 460 MH/s.

MoneroHash

One of the oldest Monero mining pools, MoneroHash was established in October 2014. Its mining fee is a bit high (1.6%), but you avoid transaction fees by mining directly to the exchange wallet. The payout of 0.5 XMR is agreeable, so you should consider this solution, if you don’t have a particularly powerful mining rig. The hashrate at MoneroHash is 4.32 MH/s and uptime over the recent months was a solid 99.92%. The platform offers servers in the U.S. and finds blocks every 2 hours.

Other advantages include:

DDoS protection,

Integrated address support,

SSL/TLS encryption and IPv6 support.

MineXMR

MineXMR charges the same 1% fee as other mining pools, but what makes it stand out from the crowd is a low 0.004 XMR minimum payout, which guarantees you daily withdrawals. The uptime is unbeatable: 100%. Block generation is 45 minutes, and you can choose servers from all over the world. Currently, the hashrate remains over 95 MH/s. It’s not the highest number, but still more than enough for successful mining. Considering all that, it’s no surprise that mineXMR counts over 25,000 active XMR miners from all over the globe.

Nanopool

This is another popular option among XMR hunters. It implements the standard 1% mining fee, though uptime isn’t stable: it used to be 92.74%, but sometimes stays at the level of 99.99%. The minimum payment is 0.3 XMR, and Nanopool has several payment rounds per day. One reason to avoid Nanopool is that it currently has the largest hashrate of any pool at 103 MH/s, which means the number of users is too large. At the moment, overall number of miners exceeds 100,000, and the community continues growing.

While the default payout is 1 XMR, you can change this amount without raising the fee. Additionally, there are a few useful tools for mining and professional recommendations. Users can enjoy extra perks, including PPLNS reward system. Note that the coins you earn can be exchanged for other cryptocurrencies in the pool.

Monero Crypto Pool FR

Monero Crypto Pool FR is a great option for European based miners, though the uptime leaves a lot to be desired: recently, it was only 81.79%, which is simply unacceptable. Besides, the mining fee of 2% is quite high. Minimum withdrawal is 0.3 XMR, and the hashrate is 13.51 MH/s MH/s

Why then choose Monero Crypto Pool FR? This French mining pool ensures a decent level of security and a stable connection. It finds blocks every 7 hours, which is agreeable for having payments made once a day. Its community counts over 1,500 miners, and you will surely find someone trustworthy to cooperate with.

Support XMR

This pool supports XMR mining only, and it has a low fee of just 0.6% and a minimum payout of 0.1 XMR. Seems to be a pretty sweet concept, doesn’t it? Let me add an extra layer on this cake: SupportXMR pays their miners every two hours, and users are free to set up their own payment limits for regular and exchange wallets. You can also monitor the performance of your rigs on the per worker hashrate chart. The pool is popular, as you can tell by its 82.89 MH/s hashrate. Recently, Support XMR had an uptime of 100%.

As you can see from the table above, Support XMR seems to offer the best conditions for mining Monero. Being a platform with a narrow focus, it provides everything for fast and efficient earning. At the same time, other platforms mentioned also offer a few perks and appear to be very cost-efficient solutions.

You should also try...

Alternatively, you can try such pools as:

XMR.poolto.be

XMR.prohash.net

XMR.prohash.net

XMR Pool.net

The number of users there doesn’t exceed 1,000, but they provide a decent hashrate and different server locations. Choose a mining pool with servers in your country/continent – this way, you will enjoy better results.

Want to find mining partners some other way? Visit forums, such as Reddit: there, you will find information about Monero mining. Don’t forget to read the reviews about mining pools on some independent websites. Using a reliable Monero mining pool, you can multiply your riches quickly and with minimal effort.

The double-whammy of sinking prices and constantly rising mining difficulty was a complete knockout for Bitcoin miners. U.Today determines whether you should stick to Bitcoin mining in 2019, and what other altcoins could be a good option the following year.

Picking a new currency to mine

Due to the decline of cryptocurrency mining, it is rather challenging to find a new coin to mine given that cryptocurrency price predictions change almost every day. If you want to pick a new currency, you should perform an in-depth fundamental analysis (the technology behind the coin, the team of developers, etc.). We’ve compiled the list of top factors you have to take into account when mining new coins:

mining difficulty;

recent price fluctuations;

price predictions;

market capitalization;

the number of use cases;

the developers’ background;

social media presence.

Meanwhile, these are some of the ‘red flags’ that you most likely want to avoid when choosing a new coin:

the coin has an ICO;

the project is selling masternodes;

premined coins;

‘copy and paste’ coins in the likes of Ravecoin that do not bring anything new to the table.

Making sure the mining is profitable

Once you’ve picked the coin that suits all the above-mentioned parameters, you have to make sure that running your mining operation will result in generating a profit (a rather challenging thing to do considering the current state of cryptocurrency mining). There are numerous factors that you have to take into account, such as electricity expenses, mining difficulty, etc. We won’t enumerate all these points since there are plenty of complex mining calculators.

Another important point you should keep in mind is that these parameters are constantly fluctuating, which essentially makes the mining industry so unpredictable. Case in point: mining giant Bitmain, which recently sacked half of its employees after tons of hype surrounding its upcoming IPO that is already shaping up to be a big underperformance.

The O.G. currencies in 2019

Let’s start with an ultimate O.G. currency – Bitcoin, which turned into a multibillion-dollar business. This December, the mining difficulty of the king BTC experienced a 15 percent decline due to smaller miners leaving the Bitcoin Blockchain en masse after major experts failed with their predictions. In the middle of the crypto rout, Bitcoin miners still managed to rake in an impressive $4.7 bln, but the point is that large mining farms are primarily responsible while run-of-the-mill miners remain on the sidelines.

The exodus of miners that was followed by a difficulty drop makes it much easier for new miners to enter the market. Moreover, it has been recently estimated that mining Bitcoin is still 50 more profitable than mining one of its iterations – Craig Wright’s ‘mining-friendly’ Bitcoin SV.

The same pertains to another major currency – Ethereum, which has been facing bearish predictions the whole 2018. Miners who can benefit from low electricity prices still remain in business in the yo-yo market as the mining difficulty continues to drop. Since Ethereum is way too established, you might also opt for Ethereum Classic, whose mining difficulty has been tanking as of recently.

Monero and ZCash: top privacy coins

Monero is currently the 13th biggest currency by market capitalization. The flagship privacy coin is particularly attractive for miners given its ASIC-resistance. That essentially means that you could mine Monero without buying expensive hardware, thus disrupting Bitmain’s monopoly, which could be already facing serious woes according to expert predictions. Bitmain came up with a special miner for Monero, but the dev team throttled it with a fork that could make ASIC mining inefficient.

Of course, the coin’s mining profitability tanked due to the crypto rout, but cheap GPU prices combined with low electricity still make a good combination for mining Monero in 2019. However, do not expect to gain profit from selling XRM on a daily basis despite some positive price predictions.

Alternatively, you can also consider mining another privacy coin – ZCash, which is responsible for more than 90 percent of all Equihash mining, though the recent rate spike was a blank swan situation for miners who were up to different predictions. Back in July, ZCash made headlines because of its remarkable mining profitability: it outperformed Bitcoin by 400 percent.

Horizen (ZEN)

According to whattomine.com, Horizen (previously known as ZenCash before the rebrand happened) remains the Equihash-based currency with the highest level of rewards. In 2019, it is still one of the best currencies to mine with your GPU.

Keep in mind that Horizen is still in its early PoW days, and they have already paid out 5.3 mln coins to miners. It would be ludicrous to expect sizeable mining profits in the current bearish market, but the project might pick up some steam in the future despite some gloomy price predictions.

Litecoin (LTC)

Litecoin is yet another old-timer on the block that has been around since 2011. It poses a good option for those who want to opt for an already established currency instead of buying coins with little to no background.

LTC stands out because of faster transaction confirmations (the block generation time is restricted to ten minutes), and a more efficient storage solution.

A quick look at r/litecoinmining will tell you that the community is in low spirits right now, with some mining for the sake of heating the house or simply keeping their hobby. However, our recent price prediction shows that Litecoin is currently following a bullish path.

Bitcoin Gold (BTG)

Bitcoin Gold is a fork of Bitcoin that was created specifically for GPU mining. Apart from disrupting the hegemony created by super-powerful ASIC miners, Bitcoin Gold is also a marginally safer coin since miners do not have to rely on the hardware that is specifically designed to mine this coin. Hence, BTG miners won’t have to throw away their Antminer if their cryptocurrency lives up to most pessimistic price predictions since they can easily put their botnet on something else.

How to maximize your mining profits?

We’ve listed some of the most conventional (and fairly unconventional) choices, but it’s rather challenging to boil down your choice to one specific coin when there are more than 2,000 options on the table. Hence, it would make sense to mine several coins simultaneously (up to all major mineable currencies) to hedge against potential losses. It is not a piece of investment advice, but swapping currencies is an objectively good option in the highly volatile market where price predictions tend to change very quickly.

Best coins for CPU mining

Yes, you heard it right – CPU mining is still a thing in 2019 (just like in Bitcoin’s early days when even the boldest price predictions couldn’t foresee its present-day price). Of course, do not expect to make a single dollar (or even a single cent) with your old laptop. However, for the sake of collecting coins whose price could skyrocket one day, you can consider mining the following CPU-oriented cryptocurrencies:

Nimiq;

Nerva;

Pascal;

Uplexa;

Blur.

You can constantly keep track of new GPU coins with the help of the website newcpucoins.com. One of the best strategies that you can pick is to mine a coin that is basically worth nothing after doing in-depth research of the project and the team. The cryptocurrency market is still very nascent, and there’s a good chance that the value of a new coin could blow up in the future (just make sure not to sell them prematurely).

Should you mine crypto in 2019?

Over the past few years, cryptocurrency mining has turned into an industrial-level venture, which means that the days when somebody could make quick dollars with crypto mining are pretty much over despite some predictions about the comeback of mining craze. In the first half of 2018, cryptocurrency prices began to fall, and many miners were forced out of business.

With the right approach, mining can still be profitable, but it’s a not a get-rich-quick scheme anymore, and the profitability margin is much lower. Even if most bullish price predictions come true, expect more super powerful ASIC miners to appear on the market.

After all, you can still mine 1 BTC in Venezuela while only forking out $531 because of its extremely low electricity rates. However, don’t be tempted to pack your bags to this ‘crypto paradise’ given that the local government is not particularly welcoming to miners, with some of them even going to jail. There is also another option: Iran, where mining still turns a profit with the country’s government subsidized energy.

Hopefully, U.Today helped you to come up with the best mining strategy to survive this crypto winter.